Hi, I'm Benyam 👋🏿
Senior software engineer, indie hacker, athlete and a kickboxer.
BS

About

I am the creator of benz.builds, cleverbeans, and others.

Dreaming up ideas and bringing them to life, especially in the world of SaaS, is where my passion truly lies.

Outside of programming, I have a diverse set of hobbies that include:

  • Traveling

  • Kickboxing, sparring with the boys

  • Walking and running in the mornings and evenings

  • Attending fight events like UFC <3

If you’re ever in Addis Ababa, where I currently reside, we could:

  • Grab a coffee
  • Discuss indie making

It is always great to connect with like-minded individuals and share our passions.

Work Experience

C

Cheqd

Sep 2022 - Aug 2024
Senior Full Stack Developer | Frontend Heavy

cheqd is a Layer 1 blockchain network focused on Decentralised Identity, built using the Cosmos SDK with an associated token (CHEQ). As a driven and adaptable individual, I played a key role in cheqd’s success as a Senior Frontend Engineer, contributing to product launches, and the development of customer-facing applications, all while ensuring seamless integration of Web3 technologies.

Product & Engineering

  • Led frontend development on creds.xyz a consumer app for reputation, loyalty, and trust, using Svelte and SvelteKit, building the product from scratch to production.

  • Worked closely with the backend team to optimize the user experience for Web3 verifiable credential apps, ensuring performance and security standards were met.

  • Led the integration of Cosmos SDK functionalities into the app’s frontend, ensuring seamless blockchain interaction.

  • Optimized user interfaces for high performance across diverse devices and platforms.

  • Conducted end-to-end testing for frontend components using Playwright, ensuring robust app performance.

  • Conducted performance optimizations, significantly improving page load times and application performance.

  • Developed and maintained UI component libraries and design systems.

  • Spearheaded the creation and maintenance of developer documentation for frontend SDKs, improving onboarding for both new developers and community members.

  • Introduced code quality standards, conducting regular code reviews, and enhancing collaboration among engineers.

  • Authored comprehensive documentation for the open-source community.

Sales & Partnerships

  • Collaborated with product management and external partners, translating product requirements into technical solutions that drove continuous engagement in the app solutions that drove continuous engagement in the app.

  • Supported partnerships by developing customizable, white-labeled frontend components used by B2B partners.

  • Played an instrumental role in pre-sales by demonstrating live prototypes and the frontend capabilities of the creds.xyz app to potential partners and customers.

  • Worked closely with the business development team to integrate client feedback into the frontend design, improving the app’s usability and client satisfaction.

Marketing & Community

  • Created product demo videos showcasing the seamless user experience of creds.xyz, which were pivotal in onboarding partners.

  • Led internal workshops and product demos, training engineers and cross-functional teams on new frontend features and best practices.

V

VitraCash

Jun 2021 - Jul 2022
Software Engineer

VitraCash is a fintech company focused on providing innovative payment solutions through AI-driven smart debit cards. As a Software Engineer, I was responsible for leading the frontend and mobile UI/UX development, as well as contributing to backend architecture, enabling seamless user interactions and ensuring optimal performance for the company’s core mobile product.

Product & Engineering

  • Led the UI/UX development of VitraCash’s flagship mobile app using Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (KMM), ensuring a consistent and responsive design across both Android and iOS.

  • Architected and implemented backend and UI components for the smart card solution, integrating AI-driven features that allowed users to optimize their payments based on financial insights.

  • Played a key role in establishing and maintaining a robust CI/CD pipeline for mobile and backend services, reducing deployment time and enhancing product reliability.

  • Conducted extensive user testing and collaborated with product teams to iteratively refine the app’s design, increasing user satisfaction and retention.

  • Integrated multiple payment gateways and financial APIs into the app, ensuring secure and seamless payment processing.

  • Integrated KYC SDKs to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and improve the user onboarding process, resulting in a streamlined and secure identity verification experience.

  • Led code reviews for mobile app features and backend services, ensuring adherence to coding standards and improving the quality of the codebase.

Sales & Partnerships

  • Supported the business development team by building mobile prototypes and showcasing the app’s smart card features to potential partners and investors.

Marketing & Community

  • Collaborated with the marketing team to develop product demo videos, highlighting the smart card’s unique value proposition and UX flow.

  • Authored technical blogs and contributed to developer documentation, explaining the app’s architecture and payment solutions for community engagement and transparency.

  • Actively participated in customer feedback sessions, implementing iterative improvements based on user insights to enhance the app’s overall experience.

L

LinkByCar

Apr 2021 - Sep 2022
Software Engineer

LinkByCar is a B2B platform integrating connected vehicle data with businesses to offer seamless solutions. As a Software Engineer, I played a critical role in developing the frontend and backend of their platform, ensuring smooth integration of connected vehicle data with enterprise systems and providing businesses with valuable insights.

  • Developed the B2B platform’s frontend using React.js/NextJs providing a user-friendly interface that allowed businesses to seamlessly interact with connected vehicle data.

  • Architected and implemented the backend using Node.js, enabling secure, scalable data flows between vehicle data sources and business applications.

  • Integrated real-time vehicle data APIs into the platform, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information for users.

  • Optimized frontend performance by implementing progressive loading techniques and improving overall UI responsiveness, resulting in faster user interactions.

  • Led the design and development of custom dashboards, allowing clients to visualize and analyze data from connected vehicles.

  • Managed end-to-end testing using modern testing frameworks, ensuring the reliability and robustness of the platform.

  • Collaborated closely with cross-functional teams to ensure the alignment of product requirements with engineering capabilities, while continuously improving the platform based on client feedback.

M

Major League Hacking

Feb 2021 - Apr 2021
Software Engineering Fellow

Major League Hacking (MLH) is a global community of student developers, and I was selected as a Software Engineering Fellow from among 20,000 applicants. During this fellowship, I contributed to various open-source projects, collaborated with a diverse group of developers, and gained hands-on experience in product development, focusing on full-stack solutions.

  • Contributed to multiple JavaScript and Ruby open-source projects, enhancing features, fixing bugs, and ensuring code quality through thorough testing and peer reviews.

  • Developed a gitgraph.js Flutter widget, providing interactive Git graph visualizations for developers, which helped users better understand branching and version control workflows.

  • Led the development of a multiplayer browser game using JavaScript and WebSockets, focusing on real-time interactions and seamless multiplayer experiences across platforms.

  • Collaborated with cross-functional teams on multiple full-stack projects, integrating frontend components with backend services using Node.js and GraphQL, ensuring high performance and scalability.

  • Conducted code reviews and offered mentorship to peers, sharing knowledge about JavaScript best practices and scalable design patterns.

  • Authored comprehensive developer documentation for the open-source contributions, improving onboarding for new contributors and ensuring long-term project sustainability.

A

Addis Fortune

Mar 2020 - Apr 2021
Mobile and Full Stack Web Developer

Addis Fortune is one of Ethiopia’s leading weekly business newspapers, expanding into digital marketplaces. As a Mobile and Full Stack Web Developer from March 2020 to April 2021, I developed two marketplace apps that facilitated seamless transactions, leveraging modern mobile technologies and backend services.

  • Developed Ke’messob, a marketplace app for buying and selling Injera, a staple Ethiopian food. The app featured three distinct user roles: buyer, seller, and delivery person, each with tailored interfaces and functionalities. /n/n - Engineered the frontend of Ke’messob using Kotlin, while leveraging Firebase for backend services, including real-time data synchronization and user authentication.

  • Developed Ye’tale, a marketplace app similar to Facebook Marketplace, allowing users to register as either sellers or buyers and engage in peer-to-peer transactions.

  • Built the frontend for Ye’tale using Kotlin and utilized Firebase as the backend, incorporating Firebase A/B testing and various other Firebase services to enhance app functionality.

  • Achieved trending status for Ye’tale in the marketplace apps section of Ethiopia’s Play Store within three days of its release, increasing visibility and user engagement significantly.

  • Set up a CI/CD pipeline for both apps, automating the build and deployment process, and handled the publishing to the Play Store for seamless updates and releases.

A

Anbessa

Jan 2017 - Feb 2020
Software Engineer

Anbessa is a technology company founded by the Ethiopian diaspora, providing innovative software solutions for various industries. I connected with the owner(Zac Solomon) through LinkedIn and, as a Software Engineer, contributed to the development of high-performance web applications and collaborated with the team in San Diego to deliver scalable solutions for international clients.

Product & Engineering

  • Led the development of high-performance web applications using React.js and Node.js, ensuring scalability and responsiveness across devices and platforms.

  • Collaborated closely with the San Diego HQ, designing and implementing features for enterprise-grade solutions, ensuring alignment with the company’s global objectives.

  • Architected and optimized backend services using Node.js and MongoDB, improving the platform’s ability to handle large datasets and ensuring smooth data processing.

  • Integrated RESTful APIs and third-party services to expand the functionality of the web apps, including real-time features that enhanced user interactions and data updates.

  • Conducted regular code reviews and implemented best practices to maintain code quality and improve collaboration among engineers.

  • Provided technical mentorship to junior developers, guiding them through complex problems and improving their understanding of full-stack development.

Sales & Partnerships

  • Collaborated with the sales team to develop demo applications for prospective clients, showcasing the company’s technical capabilities and driving customer engagement.

  • Worked closely with business development teams to ensure the web apps met specific client requirements, ensuring seamless integrations with their existing infrastructures.

Marketing & Community

  • Assisted in creating marketing materials that highlighted the performance and capabilities of the applications developed, contributing to product showcases and technical demonstrations.

  • Presented technical insights and findings during company workshops and events, promoting best practices and introducing new technologies to internal teams.

A

Addis Ababa City Administration of Ethiopia

Jun 2018 - Sep 2018
Computer Science Instructor

Addis Ababa City Administration of Ethiopia oversees the development and public services of the capital. As part of the “Hello Addis” project, I volunteered as a Computer Science Instructor from June 2018 to September 2018, developing and delivering programming education to high school students.

  • Created interactive lesson plans and hands-on coding exercises, introducing students to fundamental programming concepts and web development.

  • Mentored students on algorithms, problem-solving, and responsive design, fostering practical skills for real-world applications.

  • Collaborated with schools and educators to expand the program’s reach, ensuring access to quality computer science education.

B

Botter Inc. (LangBot)

Jun 2017 - Sep 2017
Web Developer Intern

LangBot Inc. (Botter) is an innovative platform focused on language learning through chatbots. As a Web Developer Intern from June 2017 to September 2017, I contributed to the development of progressive web applications (PWAs), enhancing the platform’s accessibility and user experience across devices.

  • Developed progressive web applications (PWAs using preact) that provided a seamless user experience on both mobile and desktop platforms, ensuring consistent performance and responsiveness.

  • Optimized the user interface to improve engagement and interactivity, incorporating features that worked effectively across different screen sizes and devices.

  • Implemented offline capabilities for the PWA, ensuring that users could access language learning features without an active internet connection, enhancing usability.

  • Worked closely with the product team to deliver updates and new features based on user feedback, improving the overall functionality of the platform.

Skills

React
Next.js
Svelte
SvelteKit
Vue3
Nuxt
Typescript
Supabase
Node.js
Python
Postgres
Docker
Kotlin
Java
MedusaJs
Solana
Ethereum
Flutter
Jetpack Compose
My Projects

Check out my latest work

I've worked on a variety of projects, from simple websites to complex mobile and web applications. Here are a few of my favorites.

Creators Studio

Transform your community members into supercharged ambassadors. Protect and engage your community. Easily identify your most valuable members.

svelte
sveltekit
tailwindcss
typescript
nodejs
cloudflare

Creds App

Creds is your reputation: portable, private and secure. Build your reputation. Take it everywhere.

svelte
sveltekit
tailwindcss
typescript
nodejs
cloudflare

Yetale Market Place App

Buy anything you could ever need in just a single marketplace app. Check out YetAle, a crowdsourced digital shop, to see if the price is right! Or create your own listing and make money!

Mobile
Jetpack Compose
Koltin
Firebase

Flappy Bug

Multiplayer version of the classic FlappyBird Game.

phaser3
typescript
socekt.io

VitraCash

Pay with best card every time.

Kotlin
KMM
Compose
Spring
Indie Makes

I enjoy solving local business challenges and generating subscription-based revenue.

I have developed 2 products sofar, and it&ap.os;s been fascinating to see how business owners benefit from them—improving their workflows and boosting their revenue.

  • C

    CTO and Founder

    Currently leading efforts to revolutionize e-commerce in Ethiopia using Medusa.js, aiming to help local businesses thrive in the digital age.
  • C

    CTO and Founder

    Online

    Developed a comprehensive SaaS platform for gym management using NestJS for the backend and Next.js for the frontend. Currently developing mobile apps tailored for personal trainers and gym goers, enhancing user experience and engagement on-the-go.
Contact

Get in Touch

Want to chat? Just shoot me an email and I'll respond whenever I can.